I’ve been in a rather philosophical mood lately and I’m going to share that with you. Yep, I’ve got a new ESL book coming out here, oh…in another week or two, and it’ll be called Keeping Your Sanity: English Teaching Strategies for ESL Teachers. You may have noticed over the past month that many of my posts have been more about general teaching ideas as opposed to step-by-step instructions for lessons. We’re taking more of a ‘forest for the trees’ approach here, stepping back and looking at the big picture. Teaching English abroad is tough. The kids are talking in a language you don’t understand most of the time and lots of things you try don’t work. You’ve got a rigorous schedule and not a whole lot of support all the time. To top it all off you’re in a new country with new foods and new people and new places…you need to focus on your own needs as well. I talk about all of these things, these more abstract concepts that you don’t always think about in class but which are affecting you nonetheless. I’ve done more philosophical ESL books before, with English Last, Teaching Abroad, and Bilingual Teaching. This book will follow a similar vein, but it’ll be more blunt and edgy. I’m not going to waste your time and I’m going to tell you things straight up and without a lot of varnish. I think this is what you want, not some sugar-coated nonsense that won’t get to the root of your problems. What is the root of your problems as an ESL teacher? And more importantly, how do you solve them? Check out this book when it comes out. Sign-up for my mailing list to learn first or check back to the site in a week or so. Thanks for reading…and keep your sanity!